Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 16:58:46 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Kenilworth Gardens today (plus a bit on VA) Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi all -- We hit Kenilworth Gardens as soon as it opened this morning, to beat the heat. Tide was low out beyond the boardwalk but unfortunately there weren't too many birds enjoying it. We counted about a dozen Killdeer and a couple of Greater Yellowlegs, plus two Great Egrets. An apparent family party of Red-Shouldered Hawks flying about provided the greatest excitement, plus a young Cooper's Hawk and a couple of Ospreys. There were some passerines in evidence, best being several Baltimore Orioles, Indigo Bunting and Phoebe. We then went to Hunting Creek, which is, yes, in Virginia but currently a hot local spot for shorebirds. Best were *three* Wilson's Phalaropes, a Red Knot in basic plumage, 8-9 Stilt sandpipers, and a White-rump. There has been a change in the cast of characters since our visit Monday so it is fair warning that shorebirds *are* moving and good birds could show up anywhere in suitable habitat. We also scanned the Hydrilla beds in Maryland (from the Virginia shore) but saw only expected Forster's and Caspian terns, plus a few gulls -- oh, and an adult Bald Eagle. Hopefully this year we will see a repeat of the excellent Black Tern passage that was a highlight of late August 2001. Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Colesville, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================